Extension-table lock.



C. S. BURTON.

EXTENSION TABLE LOCK.

APPLIGATION FILED Nov, 17, 1913.

BJL Patented M3112, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

n W Q* y@ THE MORRIS PETERS Co. PHOTO-Livio.. WASHING/UN, D. L'

C. S. BURTON.

EXTBNSON TABLE LOCK.

,APPLICATION FILED NOV, 17, 1913.

19130,M10 Patented Mar,2,1915.

CHARLES S. BURTON, OIEVOAK PARK, LLINOIS.

EXTENSION-TABLE LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Application filed November 17, 1913. Serial No. 801,340.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at @ak Park, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, haveinvented new and useful lmprovements in Extension-Table Locks, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being `had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved device forlocking an eX- tension table, and having adaptation especially forlocking the parts of the table together when extended with illers orleaves interposed in the top, and in this respect adapted for so lockingtogether the two members of a divided pedestal or supporting base whensuch members are spread apart for the purpose oi' extending the table toadmit leaves or fillers in the top.

lt consists in the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed as indicated in the claims.

ln the drawings :-Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of anextension table embodying this invention, the same being shown at closedposition of both top and pedestal. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the samewith the top extended on the pedestal and the pedestal halves extended,the locking devices being shown in locked position. Fig. 3 is a detailview showing the locking devices released for extending or closing up.Fig. l is a partly sectional detail side elevation of the devices forconnecting and drawing together the table halves. 5

is a section at the line 5-5 on Fig. 2 showing bottom end struts orbraces for the pedestal halves. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation ot strutsor braces for the lower end of the pedestal. Fig. 7 is a section at theline 7-7 on Fig. 6.

T he table to which this invention is shown applied is shown in thecommon form of pedestal table. having two pedestal halves, 1 and 2,adapted to be separated for extension, and having the correspondinghalves, 3 and 4l, of the top member mounted.' for movement upon therespective pedestal halves for extension with or without opening orspreading the pedestal. Ilhe usualslides, 5, are shown for connectingthe pedestal members with each other and the top member halves with therespective pedestal members. The means oi' connecting and drawingtogether the two halves of the pedestal comprise a toothed wheel, 6,which is journaled upon an upstanding lever, 7, fulcrume'd at the footof one pedestal member within ,the same; a rack, 8, curved about theulcrum of the lever mounted on said pedestal member for engagement ofthe toothed wheel; a chain, 9, having one end connected at 10 to theopposite pedestal half and extending over the toothed wheel and downbetween the same and the pedestal .wall forming a loop below the rack,8, the end of the chain being connected at 11 to the bracket on whichthe rack is formed, and a flanged roller, 13, which hangs in the loop ofthe chain below the bracket operating as a weightto take up the slackand retract the chain. rl`he toothed wheel, 6, has'its gear teeth, 15,engaging the rack at the lower side, and one tooth, 16, at the upperside for engagement of the chain. The lever, 7, extends to the top ofthe pedestal and is there connected with means ter operating it, as willbe hereinatter explained. The operation of the parts thus far describedis as follows z-When the pedestal members are advanced toward each otherin closing up, the weight, 13, hanging in the loop of the chain retractsit, holding it taut Jfrom its connection at 10 with one pedestal memberto and over the toothed wheel, 6, and in the absence of any engagementof the lever, 7, at the upper end, tending to hold the lever at its mostinward position,-that is, leaning toward the vertical axis ot thepedestal,--the axle, 17, of the gear wheel being stopped by the upwardlyprojecting arm, 19, oi" the bracket, 8, Aassuming that at this position,the pedestal members are not entirely closed or clamped together, itwill be seen that it the lever, 7, is pulled outward at the upper end,the teeth, 15, of the wheel, (il, engaging the rack, causing the wheelto roll on the rack as it is carried outward with the lever, will causethe tooth, 16, engaged with the chain to be moved outwarch-that is,toward the wall ot the pedestal, 1,-twice as far the axle of the gear ismoved, and will thereby cause the pedestal halves to be drawn towardeach other twice as far as the movement of the lever at the point atwhich the wheel is journaled in it, thus drawing the pedestal halvestogether or clamping them firmly, taking up all the slack, if any,

in thefchain, and closingup any crevicel bei tween the abutting edges ofthe pedestal members. It means are provided for not only moving thelever as"described,"but.also for securing it at the point to which it 1sthus moved, the pedestal memberswlll be firmly secured inclamped andlocked relaf such means will be entirely sutiicient for all purposesit'. the halves of the top member are mounted fast on their respectivepedestal members. But in a table ot'gthe type shown, in which not onlythe pedestal halves are separable for extension, but alsothe halves ofthe top member are movable upon their respective pedestal members forextension independently of the separation or spreading ot' the pedestalmembers, it is desirable'to provide a means for operating and securingthe lever which shall serve at the same time' to close'together the-halves of the top meinber and secure them at the same time that' thepedestal members are secured in locked position-. For this purpose,lever-operating devices are provided which will now be described. Y I

A draw bar, 25 lodgedV and extending horizontally at the top of thepedestal under the table top,has. apertures, 25a, 25225", each adapted'for'engaging the upper end of the lever,'7,`and spaced apart in thelength' of the draw bar by distances equal to half ot the unit-iillerwidth, so that said draw" bar moving with one of the top-member halvesmay have the said apertures engaged with said lever successively atclosed posiltion and at the positions to which the said top-member haltlwill be moved forftheinsertion of one and two llers, respectively,assuming'that the other top-member half is equally moved in the oppositedirection, as it should be to keep the table balanced. The draw bar, 25,has a slot, 25d, by which it is slidingly pivoted on a vfulcrum, 26,carried bythe top-member half, 3. A short link,`27,

is also pivoted at oneend upon the under side of said top-member'half,and a handle lever, 28is pivoted intermediate'its ends to thefree end ofthe link, 27'and at Vits inner endV to the Vdownward-ly-bent end,2756,01: the draw bar,-25, said draw bar having its said end bentVdownward at the outer end of the slot, 25. T he locked position of thepart-s is shown in Figs. l position having one of its apertures, as 25a,engaged with the upper end of the lever, 7, the fulcrum, 26.1 being atthe inner'end oi the slot, 25d, the link, 27, beingswung up about itsulcrum to a positionat which the line from the pivotal connection of thesaid hand lever, 28,to the downwardly-bent end, 25", of the draw bar tothe pivotal connection' of vany degree and 2, the draw bar at thatv saidhandle leverto'therfree endofuthe link, V2T,extendsjust above thefulcrum ot' said link,27;`and at this position the handle end ofthehandle l'ever'is stopped against upward movement by a bumper, 30, o nthe under side 0i thetable-top halt, 3. At this position, the lever, 7,is vat the extreme outward ylimit of its swing,-that is, leaned'towardseizing the handle, 29, of the handle lever,V

2S, swings that lever downward and inward, its movement being controlledby the'swing vof the short link, 27, and the sliding ofthe draw bar onVfits-pivot, 26, tothe position shown in Fig. 3, the drawbar will befirst thrust inward until the .pivot,.26, stands'at the outer end of theslot, 25d, carrying` the upper end of the lever, 7, inward,.relaxing theclamping and slacking the chain, 9, between the wheel, 6, and the endsecurement, l0, of the chain, and leaving the engagement of the draw barwith the upper endo'lthe lever, 7 loose.V Upon the operator continu-Ving the inward swinging movement of the handle past the Ypoint shownin'Fig. 3, the pivot of the said handle leverto'the link, 27, will becarriedfupward from the'position shown in Fig. 3 until it passes theline from 'the fulcrum of the levez-,27, to the pivotal connectionoiethe lever,'28, with the downu'fardly-bentend, 25e, ofthe draw bar. Inthis movement, the draw bar being no longer able to slide longitudinallybecause the pivot,

26, is at the end of the slot, 251,operates as `a bell-crank lever andis Arocked over saidV pivot, 2G, as a fulcrum. causing the inner end tobe lifted clear oi the upper end of the lever, 7, and when the pivot,26, passesY the said line fromv the fuicrum of the link',"27, to thepivot, 26 the handle lever against further upward movement by thefulcrum o1c the link, 27, theweight of the draw Ab ar, 25, .operatingover itsY fulcrum, 26, causes-the parts to be locked at thatV position.

being stopped;

The operator-may now eXtendthe table to Y' perinittedby itsconstruction, the top members Vbeing free to Vslide upon the pedestalhalves and thepedestall halves `being free toV spread, the chain, "9,"sliding freely over the wheel, 6, because in4 the inward swing of thelever, 7, and therolling of the wheel on the track, the tooth,gl5,whichhas engagedlthe chain ment therewith,

ydown towardthe endof the lever, and one passes out oiE engageasfseen inFig. 4. The table being extended either as to top, or aste pediY or astoboth, and the desiredV number i downward A'and -out- CII of itsapertures, according to the number of fillers for which the topmemberhalf has been extended, will become engaged with the end ot' the lever,this engagement occurring in the initial movement ot' the hand leverwhich carries the parts from the position shown in Fig. 1 to thedotted-line position shown in Fig. 3. |'lhe operator now continuing theoutward swing of the handle will cause the parts to be drawn together.Probably usually the top members will come together first, because theywill slide upon the pedestal halves more easily than the pedestal halveswill move upon the floor. As soon as they come together, the furtherdrawing action ot the device causing the lever, 7, to be swung outwardwill cause the toothed wheel, 6, to pick up its engagement with thechain as the tooth, 16, moves upward toward the latter to draw upon thechain and close up the pedestal members, the parts at the close of theupward and outward swinging movement of the hand lever coming to lockingposition shown in full line in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be understood thatupon opening up the top for extension, the top-member halt, l, will bemoved outward as many times a halt-ller-width distance vas the number offillers which it is desired to accommodate by the spreading ot' the topon the pedestal. Any :familiar and convenient device may be employed forlimiting the extension of this top half at the proper position toreceive one or two or any other desired number of fillers, according tothe amount of extension for which the top is constructed. A simple hook,30, pivoted to the under side of the top member and adapted to beengaged with any one of the abutments, 31, 32 or 33, positioned ,athalf-'Filler-width distances apart upon the top ot' the pedestal member,2, will accomn plish the proposition, the innermost abutment, 31, beingpositioned for securing the top-member half, 4, at closed position, andthe abutments, 32 and 33, for securing it at position for admitting oneand tw'o fillers, respectively.

Ordinarily, each pedestal half is slightly overbalanced inward by theweight which it carries so that the pedestal members tend to spreadapart at the bottom. Wvhemhowever, the top members are extended to themaximum limit for which provision is made and the table is loaded, theexcess of weight upon each pedestal halt may sometimes be at a pointoutside the vertical line of its support upon the floor so that it maybe overbalanced outward, which causes a tendencv to close together thepedestal at the bottom rather than at the top. `When this is the case,the operation of the clamping and locking devices described upon thepedestal, spread apart with llers interposed in the top, is liable tocause the pedestal members to experience an excess of the drawingaction, whereby the pedestal members will be crowded toward each otherat the bottom and the top will tend to bulge upward at the middle. rlhisis preventable by providing struts to determine positively the limit otapproach of the pedestal members at the bottcm at thc various stages ofeXtensiom-that is, tor the admission of one or more fillers. For thispurpose, 1 provide several struts or braces, 40, 41 and 42, ot diiierentlengths, which are all mounted upon one pivot at the foot ofone ot' thepedestal members, and which when not in service lean back against thewall or" that member, as shown in Fig. 1. The shortest strut is adaptedto span the interval between the two pedestal halves at the bottom andabut endwise against the stop, 43, upon the other pedestal hallrl whenthe two pedestal halves are spread for admission ot one filler. The nextlonger strut, 41, is adapted to abut against the stop, 43, when thepedestal halves are spread to the eX- tent of two filler widths, and thelongest of the three is adapted to be swung to a similar position whenthe pedestal halves are spread three filler widths. Any additionalnumber of longer struts may be provided, up to the limit of the heightwhich can be accommodated in the pedestal at the position ot the strutsshown in F ig. 1. The operator upon opening the table will turn down tooperative position the proper strut, according to the number of fillersfor which the pedestal is spread.

I claim 1. 1n an extension table, in combination with the two separablemembers of the table and means by which they are connected forextension: a toothed wheel and a carrier for the same mounted on onemember; a rack on the same member with which the toothed wheel engages;a chain attached to the opposite member and extending over the toothedwheel at the opposite side thereoic from the rack, and means for movingthe carrier to carry the wheel toward and from the opposite member.

2. In an extension table, in combination with the two separable membersof the table and means which connect them for eX- tension, a toothedwheel and a carrier for the same mounted on one table member; a rackmounted on the same member with which the wheel engages; a chainattached to the opposite table member and extending over the wheel atthe side thereof opposite the rack, a weight carried by the chain beyondthe wheel for taking up the slack of the chain; means for moving thecarrier toward and from the opposite member, and means for locking thecarrier at a position remote from the opposite member.

3. In an extension table, in combination with two supporting members andmeans which connect them for extension; lan* upstanding lever fulcrumedatrthe lower'end of one of said members; a toothed wheel carried by saidlever atan intermediate position in the height of said meinberg-arackymounted ,on the same member, and engaging the toothed wheel; a chainconnected to the opposite'member Aand extending aboutV the wheel attheopposite side thereof from the rack, the wheel having a tooth at thatside forengaging the chain, the lever be ing extended to the top of saidmember, and

means'mounted under the table top for lockl ing the lever at a positionwithdrawn from the opposite fmember. Y

4. In an extension table, in combination with two supporting members andmeansV which connect theinfor extension; an 11pstanding lever fulcrumedat the lower part of one of said, members; a toothed wheel carried'bysaid lever; a rack mounted on the same member, and engaging the wheel; achain connected to the opposite member and extending over the wheel atthe opposite side thereof from the rack, the wheel having athem forextension; an upstanding lever fulcrumed on one membei'aat'the lowerpart thereof; a toothed wheelcarried by the lever at an intermediatepoint in the heightof saidmember; a rack mounted on the same` memberwith which the toothed wheel engages; a guide track -for the axlev ofthe wheel in its movement with the lever toward and from the oppositemember; a chain attached to saidoppositeniember and extend-n ing overthe wheel at the side thereof opposite the rack, the wheel being toothedfor engagement of the chain over. an arc adapted Y to be rolled Vout ofsuch-engagement by the movement' of the lever rolling the wheel alongthe rack in engagement therewith; means for taking up the slack of thechain beyond the wheel, and means for locking the lever at a point inits movement remote from said opposite member.

6. Inan extension table, in combination with two supporting membersrelatively movable for extension, and atop member movable for extensionon one of the supporting members; a toothed wheel and a carrier thereformounted upon one supporting meinber; a rack mounted on the same memberengaging the wheel; a chain connected to the opposite member andextending about` the wheel opposite the rack; means for taking iup theslack of the chain, Vand means mount- Vedon said jtop member forengaging the carrier -movable tov withdraw thewheelffrom the oppositemembenand nieansfor locking said carrier-operating meansfo'r holdingtheY wheelat withdrawn position." Y i l 7. ln anextension table, incombination kwith two supporting members connected for extension; a topmember movable for extension on one of the supporting'members;

means which connect the vrtwo supporting members, adapted to permittheir extension without disengaging such connection; means mounted uponone of said members for operating upon theconnectingmeans to Ywithrawthe two members toward each other; a device mounted upon said topmember;a connection therefrom to said operating means adapted to be engagedtherewith at a plural-V ity of points along the length of saidconnection half-filler-width distances apart, said `device being mountedmovably on the top member toV actuate said connection for withdrawingsaid operating means from the opposite member, and means for lockingsaid device to hold it at such withdrawn position.

8. In an extension table, in combination,v

with two supporting members and a top member movable upon one of them,and means which connect said'threepparts for extension; devices forconnecting and drawingy together the two supportingmembers, comprisingan operating member whose upper end is engageable for its operation; a

icoY

deviceymounted'upon said top member for` *soV engaging and operating it,saidV device Vcomprising two fulcrum supportsv on the under side of saidtop member; a draw bar mounted for sliding on one of said fulcrumshaving means for engaging said operating member positioned at aplurality of pointsY along the length of the draw bar half-fillerwidthdistances apart; a, link mounted upon the other fulcrum; an operatinghandle member pivoted to the-free end of said link v and to the draw barat a point on the latter offset from the line of sliding near the outerlimit of the VslidewayV of said draw bar, whereby the draw bar is liftedat itsinner end upon continuation of a movement causing it `to slide tothat limit.

9. ln an extension table, in. combination with two supportingmembersoand a top member movable upon one of `them. and means whichconnect said three parts for eX- tension; devicesfor connecting-anddrawing together the two supporting members,

comprising an operating member whose Yupper Aend Yis engageable for Vitsoperation; a device mounted upon said top member for sc .engaging andoperating it,.said device comprising` two .fulcrunr supports on theunder side Vof said top member; a draw'bar having aslidewaysfor slidingon one ofsaid fulcrums having means for engaging; said operating memberpositioned at a plurality or' points alone; the length of the draw barhal-liller-width distances apart; a link mounted upon the other ralorum;an operating` handle member pivoted to the free end of said link and tothe draw bar at a point on the latter offset from the line ot slidingnear the outer limit of the slideway of said draw bar, the pivot ot saidlink to the handle mem er being; distant 'from the pivotal connection oithe handle member to the draw bar more than the length of said link, therelative positions of the two iulcrnms and the two pivots of the handlemember being' such as to permit the pivot of the link to the handlemember to be moved by the swinging` of the link pastthe line connectingthe second ulcrnm with the other pivot of the handle member, and meansfor stopping the handle member in each direction.

l0. ln an extension table, in combination with two sup} 9ortin,emembers;a top member movable on one of them and means which connect said threeparts 'for extension; devices for connecting the two supporting members;means for operating said devices to draw the supporting memberstogether; means connecting;` said operating means with said top member,and means for operating the last mentioned connections to move the topmember relatively to said operating means, and a plurality of struts orbraces of different lengths pivoted upon one supportingmember near thebottom, and adapted to be folded up into said member, and to be foldeddown into approximately horizontal position to stop the approach of theopposite member, each of the shorter of said struts or braces being'adapted to be soI folded down without a longer one.

li. ln an extension table, incombination with the two supporting`members adapted to be spread apart for extension of the table; i eansfor connecting; said members at extended position and for drawing themtoward each other to clamp interposed illers in the top; struts orbraces hinged to one of said supporting members near the lower end,adapted to be folded down transver ely of the parting plane of the twomembers to stop the approach of the members when drawn together.

l2. ln an extension table, in combination with the two separable membersof the table and means connecting them for eXtension; a lever pivotednear the foot of one table member; an element pivoted intermediate itsends to the said lever intermediate the ends of the latter; a part fixedon the same table member engaged with the lower end of said pivotedelement; a flexible connecting` element attached to the opposite tablemember and engaged with the upper end of said last mentioned pivotedelement, and extendinga thereover and down at the opposite side thereof;and means Jfor moving the iirst mentioned lever to carry the pivotthereto ot' said pivoted element toward and Jfrom the opposite tablemember.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, illinois,this 13th day of November., 1913.

EDRA M. MACINTOSH, M. GERTRUDE ADY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C."

